FC Basel vs Manchester City, Champions League: What time does it start, where can I watch it and what are the odds?
A look ahead to Tuesday's Champions League clash at St Jakob Park
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Manchester City travel to Switzerland on the back of another Premier League victory, having crushed Leicester City 5-1 on Saturday evening to move 16 points clear at the top of the table.
They topped their Champions League Group F, too, to set up a favourable last-16 draw against FC Basel for the first competitive clash between the two sides.
Basel, meanwhile, sit second in the Swiss Super League behind Young Boys and also finished second in Group A, behind Manchester United.
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What time does it start?
Basel vs Manchester City kicks off at 7.45pm on Tuesday 13 February.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on BT Sport 3 from 7pm. Highlights will be shown at 10.45pm on ITV 1, Wednesday night.
It’s a big game for…
John Stones. The City centre-half has not had the best time of it since returning from injury in early January.
He was at fault for Liverpool’s crucial second goal in the side’s only domestic defeat of the season as they succumbing 4-3 to Jurgen Klopp’s men.
And since then City have spent big, spending £57m on Aymeric Laporte who will present a big challenge to Stones’ place in the starting XI.
Best stat…
90%. City can boast the highest pass completion rate in the Champions League this season, even ahead of Barcelona who have 89 per cent.
They topped their group with relative ease, winning five out of five before losing the final match of the group - a dead-rubber clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Player to watch…
Kevin De Bruyne. Everyone knows about De Bruyne and his wonderful footballing ability but that doesn’t stop it from being a joy to watch.
The Belgian is widely expected to win PFA Footballer of the Year, having help City to the 16-point gap they currently hold at the top of the Premier League.
His range of exquisite passing is mesmerising and his recent form has been spectacular, so expect him to be up to his usual tricks on Tuesday night in Switzerland.
Form guide…
Basel: WLWWWW
Manchester City: WDWWWW
Odds…
Basel to win: 17/2
Manchester City to win: 8/25
Draw: 19/5
Today is a good day. You know why? Because the Champions League is back!
A couple of round-of-16 ties get underway tonight, with Tottenham facing Juventus in Turin and Manchester City travelling to Switzerland to face Basel.
Here, our primary focus will be on Juventus vs Spurs, but we'll also be bringing you all of the important updates from Basel vs City.
Stay tuned for team news!
Spurs team news
This is the team Mauricio Pochettino has selected for tonight's huge game:
Some perhaps surprising team news that emerged earlier this week was that Toby Alderweireld would not be travelling to Turin for tonight's match.
The 29-year-old has only made one appearance for Spurs since returning from a serious hamstring injury that he picked up against Real Madrid in November.
Explaining the defender's omission yesterday, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “It was a massive injury that we needed to be cautious over because we cannot put at risk his career.
Toby Alderweireld misses out tonight as he continues his recovery from a long-term hamstring injury
“We designed a plan from day one to provide him the best route to recovery and be stronger than before.
“Of course we are sorry for him because when you miss some games like Arsenal or the Champions League that we have worked a lot to try to play... I can understand. And we are frustrated too, because when you cannot play it is difficult to accept. The player always thinks he is fit, but it is our responsibility to take the best decision."
Juventus team news
Here's the team Juve boss Max Allegri has gone with for tonight's big match:
Starting XI: Buffon; De Sciglio, Benatia, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Bernardeschi, Douglas Costa, Mandzukic; Higuain
Subs: Szczesny, Rugani, Asamoah, Marchisio, Bentancur, Sturaro, Muratore
Tottenham's players check out the pitch at the Juventus Stadium ahead of kick-off
Usually before every match I report on I will take a look at the head-to-head record between the two clubs but, in the case of Juventus and Spurs, the two clubs have never played each other competitively.
They did, however, play each other in a Wembley friendly back in August, with Spurs winning 2-0 courtesy of goals from Harry Kane (obviously) and Christian Eriksen.
I'd be willing to wager that Mauricio Pochettino would take a repeat of that result tonight.
Harry Kane scored the first of Spurs' two goals as they beat Juventus in a pre-season friendly in August last year
Seeing Erik Lamela's name on the Spurs team-sheet might've surprised a few fans and Mauricio Pochettino has explained why he's put his faith in the Argentine for such a big game.
"He knows what it means to play here against Juventus and we believe this experience will help the team," Pochettino said.
Lamela spent two seasons playing in Italy with Roma before his big-money move to north London in 2013.
Erik Lamela lines up for Spurs against Juventus
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